Easy mold ideas

[Stepherz]

Hi there! I am getting ready to make my first batch in about 7 years. I've not got any molds, that's the only thing I'm missing. I'd love to have my hubs make a mold but he's got a lot going on with Spring yard work and such, I don't want to give him more work...

I don't like the idea of using the plastic storage containers because every one I've seen has ridges on the bottom and I want just a smooth clean edge on the soaps. I guess I could always trim off the ridges, but I'd rather not do all that.

Is there anything I could use for a mold that would give me a clean shaped bar? I like the PVC pipe idea but does the soap come out easily enough? At what point would you be safe to unmold the soap if you used something like this? Would you coat the inside with cooking spray or vaseline?

Other suggestions for cheap and easy molds???

Thanks Y'all!

 

[ChrissyB]

HI!
Yes you can use the PVC pipes as moulds. If i use them I coat them with a thin layer of mineral oil (baby oil), it doesn't saponify so the soap comes out easily.
Clean milk cartons work well, as do pringles containers, and any of those juice/milk tetra pak type carton, you know the waxy cardboard with the plastic lining inside.
Make sure you posts some pics for us when you're done!

 

[Jola]

I used PVC pipe, just 1.5 inches in diameter. I lined it with freezer paper. When it was time to unmold I popped it int he freezer for about 15 minutes then I took a round block of wood on a stick (it was litteraly a tinker toy) and pushed it out. Worked pretty well. Would not have been so easy if I didn't have the tinker toy.

I've had a lot of luck with silicone baking/ice molds that I've found for super cheap at thrift stores. The only "problem" is that the soaps are somewhat small.

If you lined it well you could even try a sturdy shoe box

If you live near an Ikea, I've heard a lot about these on another forum. I'm going to try to make it out there tomorrow to pick one up...

This one has 9 log molds

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80073304

slab molds
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60073300

or both
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50073305

 

[TessC]

Vinyl downspouting from a hardware store makes neat bars, plus it's inexpensive and easy to cut to your desired size. I picked up a 10 foot length of it for a few dollars at the local Home Depot store, and it was really easy to cut into manageable lengths with my little mini hacksaw.

The downspouting I picked gives just a subtle scalloped edge to the bars, and it's approximately 2"x3", which made nice sized bars:

 

[Stepherz]

Thanks everyone. I got some great ideas from you. I will definitely try the Pringles idea as I have a couple of those lying around now!

But Tess, I really liked the drain pipe idea. What do you seal the end of it with? Do you have a picture of your mold you could share? The bar is perfect-- I like the shape. Do you put vaseline on the inside to help remove the soap?

Last question, I think... When do you usually unmold your soaps? I always used to mold my soaps in a big storage container so I didn't have to unmold or cut for 6 weeks (the curing time on castille). Can you unmold them sooner and cut them?

 

[surf girl]

I haven't gotten around to making/buying real molds, so I'm still playing around with my shoebox lids and milk cartons. They work

 

[surf girl]

To answer your unmolding question, depending on the soap and what time of day/night I make it, I unmold at 14-24 hrs.

 

[angbaby4974]

I used PVC pipe, just 1.5 inches in diameter. I lined it with freezer paper. When it was time to unmold I popped it int he freezer for about 15 minutes then I took a round block of wood on a stick (it was litteraly a tinker toy) and pushed it out. Worked pretty well. Would not have been so easy if I didn't have the tinker toy.

I've had a lot of luck with silicone baking/ice molds that I've found for super cheap at thrift stores. The only "problem" is that the soaps are somewhat small.

If you lined it well you could even try a sturdy shoe box

If you live near an Ikea, I've heard a lot about these on another forum. I'm going to try to make it out there tomorrow to pick one up...

This one has 9 log molds

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80073304

slab molds
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60073300

or both
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50073305

I need to get to IKEA!!!!

 

[lovetosoap]

I have used rubbermaid drawer dividers. The sides are straight and rectangular.

 

[TessC]

My "end caps" were really low tech, I used pieces of plastic that I cut from trash bags, and secured them with duct tape. Wasn't pretty at all, but it worked really well. I put the plastic wrap on one end, then stood the sections of downspouting in a plastic storage container just in case one of them leaked, but not a drop of soap got past the plastic.

I didn't oil the inside of them at all, but I did go around the cut edges with a fine file to knock off the rough edges left by the saw. That was sort of an afterthought, I didn't realize how sharp those little bits of plastic were until I stuck my hand down into the thing to smooth the plastic out, it scratched the back of my hand as I pulled it out, so I thought that it might scratch the soap up.

I went and snapped a couple of cell phone pics of them just now, only have plastic taped on one of them right this second.

That one's right at 9" long, just because that seemed like a nice, easy to handle size that I could pop into the firdge or freezer if needed. The little one is for any extra that's left over after the mold's full, and I'm glad I had it when I did the OMH bars, I ended up with just enough extra to make two bars in the smaller piece.

I slid those soaps out about 28 hours after pouring them, and I have no idea how hard they'd be to cut if you left them in there for a long time, in all honesty. I probably should have waited another day before cutting them, but I cut them immediately after unmolding, and they were fine.

 

[Barb]

those wooden drawer units from ikea are nice for soap molds. ( they do not come assembled by the way, lol )

the 9 drawer unit: each drawer holds 32/34 oz. of oils depending on how full you fill and are super easy to line. i turn them upside down and use the indention on the bottom for measuring and folding the freezer paper. plus when your down you can put all molds back in the cube for storage.

we do not have an ikea anywhere close to us, i got mine off of e-bay ( they are quite heavy to ship and another soap gal in texas who works at an ikea snagged me another one and sent it. course i've had mine for a couple of years so even with the shipping 9 soap molds for 22.00 was cheap.

 

[Stepherz]

Thanks Tess- that's a brilliant idea! I'm going to give it a go. I'll try the PVC too because I have some loofah that I want to make some bars with. Thanks for sharing a picture too-- that helps a lot. Smart idea!

I really liked the Ikea idea too, but the closest Ikea to me is 2 states away! :-( Thanks for your great ideas everyone!

Steph

 

[honor435]

Hi there! I am getting ready to make my first batch in about 7 years. I've not got any molds, that's the only thing I'm missing. I'd love to have my hubs make a mold but he's got a lot going on with Spring yard work and such, I don't want to give him more work...

I don't like the idea of using the plastic storage containers because every one I've seen has ridges on the bottom and I want just a smooth clean edge on the soaps. I guess I could always trim off the ridges, but I'd rather not do all that.

Is there anything I could use for a mold that would give me a clean shaped bar? I like the PVC pipe idea but does the soap come out easily enough? At what point would you be safe to unmold the soap if you used something like this? Would you coat the inside with cooking spray or vaseline?

Other suggestions for cheap and easy molds???

Thanks Y'all!

I bought a plastic rectangle serving plate at dollar store then cut into bars of your choice, i would line it, i didnt and had to break it, oh well its only a buck!